Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think there is a legal requirement that any money sent to an individual by the US treasury department needs to provide a written explanation of what the money is for. Since it was a direct deposit / electronic transaction, a separate written letter had to be sent to you by "the federal government" to say that payment was related to the CV-19 stimulus / relief package approved by congress.
I agree, the fact that the letter came from the White House with the President's signature is where is gets into a grey area. Why the letter was not signed by the treasury secretary or other bureaucrat, I don't know. My guess is the law about the notification is equally vague, and does not state exactly which US government official must sign the notification letter. If that's the case, then Trump's signature on the letter is not illegal. Bordering on sleazy, maybe so, but illegal, not so sure about that.